Diversity
I was looking at some photos I took at the lake yesterday while Genni the wonder dog and I were walking and marveling over the diversity God has created. I took shots of birds with at least three different eye colors. The mallard hen had brown eyes. The Barrow's Goldeye had gold colored eyes. The double breasted cormorant had blue eyes. A small thing perhaps but I found it quite fascinating.
That got me thinking about unity and diversity in the church. There is a misconception out there that says unity and uniformity are the same. Many people feel that if another church is not doing things they way "we" do them, they must be wrong at best and not the real church at worst. One church will condemn another for speaking in tongues and in turn will be condemned for not speaking in tongues.
Calvinists don't talk to Arminians. Immersion baptism fans denigrate those who pour or sprinkle. We argue about whether our cross should have Jesus on it or off it. (by the way I think both are valid after all Jesus was crucified, taken down and resurrected - both show His sacrifice on our behalf just at a different moment in the event and none of our images are actually Christ)
We'll divide over music. We'll split over the gifts. We'll tear each other down over minor doctrinal issues. We are often quite childish and petty about our differences. It really is heart breaking.
Are there issues worth dividing over? Absolutely. There are some essential issues where a line must drawn in the sand. Some of them include:
* The Authority and Inerrancy of scripture in the original manuscripts
* Nature of God - Triune (One God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit), Spirit not material, omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (all present), omnipotent (all powerful), unchanging, eternal
* Virgin Birth
* Christ as fully God and fully man
* Christ's substitution, vicarious death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection
* Justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone through God's grace alone
* Original sin
* Mankind created in the image of God
* Eternal life for believers and eternal torment for non-believers
* Christ's imminent return
* Christ alone as the way to salvation
Those are a few that come to mind that I would divide over.
Now don't misunderstand. A person can be wrong on some of the essentials and still be saved through faith alone in Christ alone. Yet a "religious system" i.e. pastor, teacher, denominations, sect, cult that teaches things contrary to these essentials is a false faith. I can fellowship with a non-believer, a believer with a confused belief system or another believer but I cannot in good conscience minister with a religious system that teaches things contrary to the essentials.
Does God want us to be unified in Him? Absolutely.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NIV
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV
There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Does God appreciate diversity? Yes.
Revelation 7:9-10 NIV
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
If God loves us as diverse as we are, even though we are one in spirit, then who are we to put up walls against one another. There are many things good and godly men and women can disagree on while still being part of the same body.
Although many have been credited with the saying "In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty and all things charity (or love)" it was actually coined by an irenic Lutheran pastor and theologian Peter Meiderlin (Rupertus Melindius) in the 17th century. It's a great motto and while not inspired like Scripture. I think it captures the spirit of Christ quite well.
To follow it though we must be willing to decide what things are essential and then agree to disagree on the rest. That means as believers we need to understand what we believe and why we believe it. We also need to take the time to understand why other Christians believe the way they do. It isn't enough to hold our positions. We must try to understand theirs as well.
Understanding someone else's position doesn't mean we have to agree with them. Even if we disagree on the essentials we still have to love each other and understanding goes a long way towards loving.
So let's stick by our essentials, lighten up on the rest and live together as one unified but diverse body of believers. When we spend more time looking at what we have in common (without compromising the essentials) we'll be able to present a more united witness to the world.
Until next time rejoice in our unity and praise God for our diversity.
Kevin
I was looking at some photos I took at the lake yesterday while Genni the wonder dog and I were walking and marveling over the diversity God has created. I took shots of birds with at least three different eye colors. The mallard hen had brown eyes. The Barrow's Goldeye had gold colored eyes. The double breasted cormorant had blue eyes. A small thing perhaps but I found it quite fascinating.
That got me thinking about unity and diversity in the church. There is a misconception out there that says unity and uniformity are the same. Many people feel that if another church is not doing things they way "we" do them, they must be wrong at best and not the real church at worst. One church will condemn another for speaking in tongues and in turn will be condemned for not speaking in tongues.
Calvinists don't talk to Arminians. Immersion baptism fans denigrate those who pour or sprinkle. We argue about whether our cross should have Jesus on it or off it. (by the way I think both are valid after all Jesus was crucified, taken down and resurrected - both show His sacrifice on our behalf just at a different moment in the event and none of our images are actually Christ)
We'll divide over music. We'll split over the gifts. We'll tear each other down over minor doctrinal issues. We are often quite childish and petty about our differences. It really is heart breaking.
Are there issues worth dividing over? Absolutely. There are some essential issues where a line must drawn in the sand. Some of them include:
* The Authority and Inerrancy of scripture in the original manuscripts
* Nature of God - Triune (One God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit), Spirit not material, omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (all present), omnipotent (all powerful), unchanging, eternal
* Virgin Birth
* Christ as fully God and fully man
* Christ's substitution, vicarious death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection
* Justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone through God's grace alone
* Original sin
* Mankind created in the image of God
* Eternal life for believers and eternal torment for non-believers
* Christ's imminent return
* Christ alone as the way to salvation
Those are a few that come to mind that I would divide over.
Now don't misunderstand. A person can be wrong on some of the essentials and still be saved through faith alone in Christ alone. Yet a "religious system" i.e. pastor, teacher, denominations, sect, cult that teaches things contrary to these essentials is a false faith. I can fellowship with a non-believer, a believer with a confused belief system or another believer but I cannot in good conscience minister with a religious system that teaches things contrary to the essentials.
Does God want us to be unified in Him? Absolutely.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NIV
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV
There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Does God appreciate diversity? Yes.
Revelation 7:9-10 NIV
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
If God loves us as diverse as we are, even though we are one in spirit, then who are we to put up walls against one another. There are many things good and godly men and women can disagree on while still being part of the same body.
Although many have been credited with the saying "In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty and all things charity (or love)" it was actually coined by an irenic Lutheran pastor and theologian Peter Meiderlin (Rupertus Melindius) in the 17th century. It's a great motto and while not inspired like Scripture. I think it captures the spirit of Christ quite well.
To follow it though we must be willing to decide what things are essential and then agree to disagree on the rest. That means as believers we need to understand what we believe and why we believe it. We also need to take the time to understand why other Christians believe the way they do. It isn't enough to hold our positions. We must try to understand theirs as well.
Understanding someone else's position doesn't mean we have to agree with them. Even if we disagree on the essentials we still have to love each other and understanding goes a long way towards loving.
So let's stick by our essentials, lighten up on the rest and live together as one unified but diverse body of believers. When we spend more time looking at what we have in common (without compromising the essentials) we'll be able to present a more united witness to the world.
Until next time rejoice in our unity and praise God for our diversity.
Kevin
No comments:
Post a Comment